About 40,000 United Auto Workers-represented Fiat Chrysler employees will receive their checks Feb. 16. That money is in addition to the $2,000 bonuses Fiat Chrysler announced when the company said this month it would be shifting production of Ram heavy-duty pickups from Mexico to the Warren, Mich., truck plant in 2020.

The company highlighted a strong performance in North America, Latin America and Europe as well as improvements in its components divisions and in its Maserati brand.

The company also nearly doubled its fourth-quarter net income.

FCA reported improvements in its pretax profits across all regions in 2017, including $6.49 billion in North America.

The improvements came despite a U.S. sales drop of 8% for the year to 2.1 million vehicles. The company has attributed that decline primarily to reductions in sales to lower-margin rental fleets.

Edmunds.com analysts noted that the company had a challenging year, dropping "nearly a full percent of market share in 2017" and with incentives up 18%, but that new products could improve its outlook for 2018.

“Considering the strength of the Jeep brand and the incessant consumer demand for SUVs, FCA does have some of the right building blocks for success," Edmunds analyst Jessica Caldwell said.